offspring suspiciously.

"Hello!" he said, "where are you going?"

William cleared his throat nervously.

"Me?" he questioned lightly. "Oh, I was jus'--jus' goin' a little walk
up the road before I went to bed. That's all I was goin' to do,
father."

Flop! A large segment of the cream blanc-mange had disintegrated
itself from the fast-melting mass, and, evading William's encircling
arm, had fallen on to the floor at his feet. With praiseworthy
presence of mind William promptly stepped on to it and covered it with
his feet. William's father turned round quickly from the stand where
he was replacing his walking stick.

"What was that?"

William looked round the hall absently. "What, father?"

William's father now fastened his eyes upon William's person.

"What have you got under your coat?"

"Where?" said William with apparent surprise.

Then, looking down at the damp excrescence of his coat, as if he
noticed it for the first time, "Oh, that!" with a mirthless smile. "Do
you mean _that_? Oh, that's jus'--jus' somethin' I'm takin' out with